The present invention relates to management apparatus and method of a network device which monitors or controls various devices connected to a network, and a storage medium.
Lately, a Local Area Network (LAN) interconnecting computers is widely used. A local area network can be constructed on a floor of the same building, or in an entire building, or in a group of buildings (on a private network), or in an area, or a larger area. Such local area networks are further interconnected, and can be connected to a world-wide network. These interconnected LANs employ various hardware interconnection techniques and have a number of network protocols. A user can change devices, install software, or diagnose problems.
Under such circumstance, if a user of a personal computer (PC) wishes to monitor, in depth, the state of a device, such as a printer, which is connected via a network, the network device management method and apparatus must have, in advance, a device detail window corresponding to the monitored device.
Various types of devices are connected to the network. Device detail windows of some of these devices are not held in advance by the network device management method and apparatus. In such case, the conventional network device management method and apparatus are unable to display device detail data.
The present invention is made in consideration of the above situation, and has as its object to provide a network device management apparatus and method which enable displaying device data by using a device detail window for a corresponding device group, in a case where the type of device is unknown but the device belongs to a predetermined device group.
In order to attain the above objects, according to the present invention, the network device management apparatus, management method, and storage medium storing programs for executing the management method by a computer have the following configuration.
More specifically, the present invention provides a network device management apparatus for monitoring or controlling a device connected through a network, comprising: specifying means for specifying a type of network device; and group specifying means for specifying a device group to which the network device belongs in a case where the type of network device is not specified by the specifying means.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the network device management apparatus further comprises: acquisition means for acquiring data related to the network device; and display control means for displaying the data related to the network device on display means.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the display control means displays the data related to the network device in a format for each type of the network device, or in a format for each device group.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the display control means notifies the fact of display impossibility in a case where a device group cannot be specified.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the network device management apparatus further comprises: first designation means for designating a network device to be monitored; and second designation means for designating a data item related to the network device designated by the first designation means, wherein the display control means displays data for the designated item related to the designated network device.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the second designation means is capable of designating a state sheet for displaying data related to a state of a network device, or a job sheet for displaying information related to a printer queue, or a management sheet for displaying manager information, or a network sheet for displaying information related to a network protocol.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the network device management apparatus further comprises identification data acquisition means for acquiring identification data which specifies a type of network device, wherein the specifying means specifies the type of network device based on the identification data.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the group specifying means specifies the device group to which the network device belongs based on the identification data.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the identification data is MIB (Management Information Base) data.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the device group comprises plural types of network devices.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the type of network device specifies a device on the network.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the network device includes a printer.
According to an aspect of the network device management apparatus of the present invention, the network device includes a copy machine.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a network device management method for monitoring or controlling a device connected through a network, comprising: a specifying step of specifying a type of network device; and a group specifying step of specifying a device group to which the network device belongs in a case where the type of network device is not specified in the specifying step.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the network device management method further comprises: an acquisition step of acquiring data related to the network device; and a display control step of displaying the data related to the network device on a display unit.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, in the display control step, the data related to the network device is displayed in a format for each type of the network device, or in a format for each device group.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, in the display control step, the fact of display impossibility is notified in a case where a device group cannot be specified.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the network device management method further comprises: a first designating step of designating a network device to be monitored; and a second designating step of designating a data item related to the network device designated in the first designating step, wherein in the display control step, data for the designated item related to the designated network device is displayed.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, in the second designating step, a state sheet for displaying data related to a state of a network device, or a job sheet for displaying information related to a printer queue, or a management sheet for displaying manager information, or a network sheet for displaying information related to a network protocol can be designated.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the network device management method further comprises an identification data acquisition step of acquiring identification data which specifies a type of network device, wherein in the specifying step, the type of network device is specified based on the identification data.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, in the group specifying step, the device group to which the network device belongs is specified based on the identification data.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, the identification data is MIB (Management Information Base) data.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, the device group comprises plural types of network devices.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, the type of network device specifies a device on the network.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, the network device includes a printer.
According to an aspect of the network device management method of the present invention, the network device includes a copy machine.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a storage medium storing a network device management program for monitoring or controlling a device connected through a network, the management program comprising: a specifying step of specifying a type of network device; and a group specifying step of specifying a device group to which the network device belongs in a case where the type of network device is not specified in the specifying step.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, the management program further comprises: an acquisition step of acquiring data related to the network device; and a display control step of displaying the data related to the network device on a display unit.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, in the display control step, the data related to the network device is displayed in a format for each type of the network device, or in a format for each device group.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, in the display control step, the fact of display impossibility is notified in a case where a device group cannot be specified.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, the management program further comprises: a first designating step of designating a network device to be monitored; and a second designating step of designating a data item related to the network device designated in the first designating step, wherein in the display control step, data for the designated item related to the designated network device is displayed.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, in the second designating step, a state sheet for displaying data related to a state of a network device, or a job sheet for displaying information related to a printer queue, or a management sheet for displaying manager information, or a network sheet for displaying information related to a network protocol can be designated.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, the management program further comprises an identification data acquisition step of acquiring identification data which specifies a type of network device, wherein in the specifying step, the type of network device is specified based on the identification data.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, in the group specifying step, the device group to which the network device belongs is specified based on the identification data.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, the identification data is MIB (Management Information Base) data.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, the device group comprises plural types of network devices.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, the type of network device specifies a device on the network.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, the network device includes a printer.
According to an aspect of the storage medium of the present invention, the network device includes a copy machine.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.